Convertible constructions of outerwear garments are known in the art which incorporate a concealed carrying bag within which the garment can be stored for ease of transportation at the time the garment is not required for use.
An example of such a convertible garment is disclosed in Breier U.S. Pat. No. 2,825,902 issued Mar. 11, 1958. Breier teaches a light-weight garment construction, such as a rain jacket, in which the yoke of the garment is of double walled construction, and is provided interiorly of the garment with a reversible slide fastener for closing an opening into the interior of the double-walled yoke.
Thus, in normal usage, the fastener is closed to connect the two walls of the yoke to each other at the opening positioned at the bottom edge of the yoke, and, the rain jacket is worn by the user in the usual manner.
If the user no longer requires the jacket for use as a rain jacket, then, upon removal of the garment, the user can open the slide fastener, fold the jacket appropriately, and then position the folded jacket within the envelope formed by reversing the inner and outer walls of the yoke with respect to each other, subsequent to which the envelope can be closed by use of the then reversed slide fastener.
While such a construction lends itself to relatively light-weight garments, such as those assembled from light-weight woven fabrics of cotton or synthetic materials, such a construction is limited to such a use, in that the internal volume of the envelope within which the folded garment is to be stored is relatively small and is limited in its size by the physical dimensions of the yoke. Further, the positioning of the slide fastener at the lower edge of the yoke can constitute a source of discomfort for the user, in that the slide fastener then lies directly over the upper regions of the shoulder blades of the user and can dig into the shoulder blades as the user exercises normal movements of the user's arms. Typically, the lower edge of the yoke lies at a central position or upwardly of the arm holes of the garment, at which position the yoke is subjected to tensioning at the time the user moves the user's arms forwardly.
Itoi in U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,154 issued Mar. 5, 1985 avoids these disadvantages, firstly by providing an opening in a front face of an outer garment at a position for it to extend across the lower rib cage of the user, and, by providing a storage pouch which normally is positioned between an inner and an outer front panel of the garment, and which can be pulled outwardly of the garment to provide a carrier bag for storage and transportation of the garment at the time the garment is not required for use and has been appropriately folded.
This construction, however, is encumbered with the disadvantage that an opening must be provided in the outer front panel of the garment, and, some means must be provided not only for closing that opening, but also, for preventing the seepage of water or moisture into the pouch when the garment is worn in inclement weather.